Reciprocable slide switch for appliances



Dec. 8, 1964 M. G. ANDIS RECIPROCABLE SLIDE SWITCH FOR APPLIANCES FiledFeb. 1, 1962 INVENTOR. Mfirrusw & /v0/5 BY W, 41-614,; m

United States Patent 3,160,718 RECIPROCABLE SLIDE SWITCH FOR APPLIANCESMatthew G. Andis, Racine, Wis, assignor to Andis Clipper (30., Racine,Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Feb. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 170,325 7Claims. (Cl. 200-16) This invention relates to an appliance switch.

The invention is exemplified in a switch for an electric hair clipper.The appliance casing provides a guideway along which a handle slide ofdielectric material is reciprocable. Within the casing the slide isprovided with a stud for propelling a floating contactor strip engagedintermediate its ends by the stud. A pocket formed within the dielectricmaterial of the casing, and in the path Oif reciprocation of thecontactor, contains a ball or other protuberance serving both as acontact and a detent. In practice I use a ball engaged in an aperture ofa terminal strip that extends into the pocket. This provides one of thefixed contacts and the contactor has apertures or sockets to receive theball in each of two or more positions of the contactor and handle.

In one such position the movable contactor engages another fixedcontact, thereby bridging between the ball and such other contact. Inanother of said positions the contactor rests upon a dielectric portionof the casing, and the circuit between the fixed contacts is open.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of an electric hair clipper appliance with aportion of the side wall of the cover portion of its casing broken awayto expose the reciprocable handle slide and the fixed terminals of theswitch.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale showing theterminals as they appear with the movable contactor and handle slideremoved.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan View similar to FIG 2, but with thereciprocable contactor in place, the pin which connects it with thehandle slide being shown in section.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in section on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the contactor and handle intheir open-circuit position.

FIG. 6 is a view taken in section on the line 66 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing in perspective the relativelyseparated parts of the switch, a portion of the clipper casing which isalso a part of the switch being fragmentarily illustrated.

As already indicated the clipper is representative of many difierenttypes of appliances and the like in which the switch of the presentinvention may be incorporated. The clipper has a casing made ofdielectric material and comprising a separable base 8 and cover 10. Themargins 12 and 14 of the base and cover provide a guideway in which thehandle slide 16 is reciprocable. Notches 18 and 20 in the ends of thehandle slide are guided upon the margins 22 and 24 of the base whichabut the guideway.

Immediately within the base section 8 of the casing are bosses 26 and 28upon which the switch terminals 30 and 32 are mounted by means of screws34 and 36. The respective terminals have wire retaining lugs 38 and 44)respectively to hold the electrical conductors leading thereto (notshown). An upward projection 42 of the boss 26 provides a shoulder at 44abutted by the end 46 of the terminal 39, which end serves as a fixedcontact. Theseparts are so located that when contactor 54) isreciprocated itscontact portion 48 will ride from a closedcircuitposition (wherein it is engaged with the fixed contact portion 46 ofterminal 30) to an open 3,160,718 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 circuit position(wherein it rests on the dielectric platform 42) and vice versa.

The moving contactor 50 has a hole at 52 engaged by a stud 54 mounted inthe portion 56 of the handle slide 16 which overlies the switchcontacts. As the handle slide is reciprocated manually in the guide slotof the casing, the movable contactor 50 reciprocates longitudinally. Thehole 52 in movable contactor 50. is intermediate its ends. Contact 48 isadjacent one end. Between the stud 54 and the other end are the holes orsockets 58 and 69 which alternatively receive a protuberance on terminal32. In practice I use a ball contact 62 anchored simply by reason of itsbeing in the aperture 64 of terminal 32. This ball rests in a pocket 66of easing member 8, forwardly of the boss 28 to which the terminal 32 isanchored. Whatever the form of the protuberance it functions as a detentwhen the holes or sockets 58 or 60 engage it.

The collar 68 on stud 54 of handle 16 exerts downward pressure on theresilient contactor 50, causing its end to snap to and from engagementover the contact ball 6?. whenever either of the apertures 58 or 60 ismoved to or from registration with the ball. The engagement of the ballin either of the apertures or pockets 58 or 60 resists, with detentaction, the reciprocation of the slide or handle 16 in a directiontending to disengage the contactor from the ball. When the disengagementhas been completed the slide or handle will move freely until the otheraperture of the contactor registers with the ball, whereupon thecontactor willsnap downwardly to embrace the ball. The ball contact andeach respective socketed or apertured portion of the contactor definesthe slide positions in which the circuit is respectively closed andopen. The closed position is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein thecontactor 50 is shown bridging conductively between the contact ball 62of terminal 32 and the contact portion 46 of terminal 30. The openposition is shown in Pig. 5, which illustrates the aperture or socket 58of contactor 50 engaged with the ball 62, the contact portion 48 ofcontactor 50 resting on the dielectric platform 42.

The switch disclosed is simple mechanically but very precise andpositive in its operation.

While it happens that the casing illustrated is a part of the casing ofthe appliance per se, it will be noted that for the purposes of thepresent invention it is also the casing of the switch.

I claim:

1. A reciprocable switch having detents defining a plurality ofpositions, said switch comprising, in combination,

first terminal means provided with a protuberance,

second terminal means having a bearing surface,

a movable contactor having contact portions for respectively cooperatingwith the protuberance and the bearing surfaces of said first and secondterminal means, the contactor having spaced pockets selectivelyregisterable with the protuberance in different positions of thecontactor, and

dielectric means providing a platform onto which a contact portion ofthe contactor rides from one of said terminals in approaching one ofsaid positions.

2. In a sliding contactor switch,

a strip contactor of elongated form having means for reciprocating itlongitudinally and provided at one end with a first contact portionhaving spaced sockets and at its other end with a second contactportion,

relatively fixed contacts in the path of reciprocation of said contactorand between which said contactor provides a bridging circuit in one ofits positions of reciprocation,

one of said fixed contacts having a protuberance engageable in therespective sockets of the movable contactor in the open-circuit and theclosed-circuit positions of the contactor, thereby providing detentsockets spaced longitudinally in the direction of slide reciprocation,

a first fixed contact including a ball with which said sockets areselectively registerable in an open-circuit position and aclosed-circuit position of said opening slot constituting a guideway andprovided beneath said slot and internally of the side wall with bossmeans,

a handle slide reciprocable along the guideway provided action definingsaid positions, and 5 by said slot and having portions interlockingly adielectric support adjacent the second fixed contact engaged with thecasing side wall in a tongue and and engaged by the second contactportion of the groove relation, contactor in the open-circuit positionof the contactor. a flexible strip contactor connected with said slide3. A switch according to claim 2 in which a terminal within the casingside wall and elongated parallel to has an aperture, a ball in theaperture constituting the the side wall and having contact portions atopposite said protuberance. ends, its connection with said slide beingintermediate 4. In combination, said ends, acasing provided with aguideway, relatively fixed contacts mounted on said boss means a handleslide reciprocable in the guideway, in the path of movement of saidcontactor, astud projecting from the handle slide, one contact portionof the contactor and one of said a movable contactor providingintermediate its ends fixed contacts having complementary protuberanceswith an aperture with which the stud is engaged for and socket meansengageable in two different posithe movement of the contactor, tions ofthe contactor to provide detent action definthe contactor having atopposite sides of the stud sepaing said positions,

rate contact portions one of which is provided with the other endcontact portion of the contactor being engaged with the other fixedcontact in one of said positions and disengaged therefrom in another ofsaid positions.

6. A switch according to claim 5 in which the protuberance is a ball forwhich said one fixed contact has contactor,

means for fixing the position of the ball against movement with thecontactor and for making electrical connection thereto, and

a second fixed contact to and from engagement with which the contactoris movable between its respective positions of detent engagement withthe ball,

said contactor establishing a bridging circuit between the ball and thesecond fixed contact in the circuit closing position of the contactorand being disengaged from the second fixed contact in the opencircuitposition of the contactor.

5. A switch comprising in combination,

a casing having a side wall provided with a laterally References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Alcoran Dec. 26, 1939King Jan. 24, 1956

1. A RECIPROCABLE SWITCH HAVING DETENTS DEFINING A PLURALITY OFPOSITIONS, SAID SWITCH COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST TERMINAL MEANSPROVIDED WITH A PROTUBERANCE, SECOND TERMINAL MEANS HAVING A BEARINGSURFACE, A MOVABLE CONTACTOR HAVING CONTACT PORTIONS FOR RESPECTIVELYCOOPERATING WITH THE PROTUBERANCE AND THE BEARING SURFACE OF SAID FIRSTAND SECOND TERMINAL MEANS, THE CONTACTOR HAVING SPACED POCKETSSELECTIVELY REGISTERABLE WITH THE PROTUBERANCE IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS OFTHE CONTACTOR, AND DIELECTRIC MEANS PROVIDING A PLATFORM ONTO WHICH ACONTACT PORTION OF THE CONTACTOR RIDES FROM ONE OF SAID TERMINALS INAPPROACHING ONE OF SAID POSITIONS.